A Newham woman who has been nationally recognised for her work in the engineering sector hopes her award will inspire young women to pursue STEM careers.
Academy Achievers managing director Paulette Watson recently received the 2019 WinTrade Award for Women in Engineering, which recognises "consistent integrity and progressive thinking" in work within the sector.
Born and raised in the borough, Paulette told the Newham Recorder it was important girls and young women to see "role models" in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
"My award will basically put women and young girls at the forefront and help them to understand that they can achieve and can get jobs in those fields.
"It's a big win, because there are a lot of young girls being excluded and discriminated against at the moment because they don't have access to these opportunities."
In receiving the award, Paulette was described as "a trailblazer when it comes to women in STEM, because she specialises in robotics".
Paulette has spent many years working with school students from disadvantaged backgrounds and has led research on ICT and Diversity amongst BAME men.
Her organisation Academy Achievers aims to offer children in the Newham area access to quality educational opportunities, particularly through STEM-related activities.
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